20 Greatest Baltimore Orioles

20

Ken Singleton

In 1979, Singleton finished second in AL Most Valuable Player voting to Don Baylor (though the award should have gone to either George Brett or Fred Lynn). Singleton hit 35 home runs that year, a career-high. He was a designated hitter by 1983 when at the age of 36 he had his last great season, hitting 18 homers and driving in 84 runs, while walking 99 times for a .393 on-base percentage. The league didn’t allow the DH in the World Series that year, so he only made two pinch-hit appearances, but in his last one he drew a bases-loaded walk.

19

Manny Machado

Will soon fall off this list, as the young Orioles stars creep up.

18

Adam Jones

“We already have two strikes against us already, so you might as well not kick yourself out of the game. In football, you can’t kick them out. You need those players. In baseball, they don’t need us. Baseball is a white man’s sport.” — Jones

17

Frank Robinson

See the Cincinnati Reds Top 20 players for more on Frank Robinson.

16

Jack Powell

15

Brady Anderson

Brady Anderson, Barry Bonds and Ryne Sandberg are the only players to have both a 40-homer and 50-stolen base season in their careers. Anderson and Bonds are the only players to reach 50 steals and 50 home runs in separate seasons. Brady did a lot of amazing things: he stole 34 straight bases, a league record at the time; he hit leadoff home runs in four straight games, also a record; and one year he went the entire season without making an error in center field.

14

Boog Powell

The most popular player in Baltimore history, and it’s not particularly close.

13

Bobby Grich

See the Angels’ Top 20 for more on Grich, who was a fabulous middle infielder for Earl Weaver for a number of years in Baltimore.

12

Paul Blair

“There’s no reason to catch one-handed except that the player likes to ‘hotdog’ it. I played 16 years in the majors and won eight Gold Gloves, and always used two hands.” — Blair

11

Harlond Clift

10

Ken Williams

Williams got a late start to his career, his first full season came when he was 30 years old. But he still accomplished much: he was the first man to hit three home runs in a game in the American League; the first man to hit two home runs in one inning; the first batter to hit home runs in six straight games; and in 1922, his magnum opus, Williams became the first player to steal 30 bases and hit 30 home runs. He finished in the top four in home runs in his league in seven consecutive seasons, the last time when he was 37 years old. Once Williams finally got a chance to play in the big leagues, he looked around, saw what Babe Ruth and other sluggers were doing, and said to himself “I can do that too.” He wasn’t the Babe, but he was damn good.

9

Mark Belanger

“No one was ever smarter at the position.” — Alan Trammell

8

Urban Shocker

7

Mike Mussina

Mussina was one of the best postseason pitchers of his era, along with John Smoltz and Curt Schilling, and maybe Randy Johnson and a few others. He mowed down the vaunted Cleveland lineup in the 1997 ALCS, striking out 15 in Game Three. He came back and pitched eight innings of one-hit ball in Game Six. But he was unlucky: his Orioles lost both games when they could only score one run.

6

Bobby Wallace

Wallace ushered in a new style of play at the position. “As more speed afoot was constantly demanded for big league ball, I noticed the many infield bounders which the runner beat to first only by the thinnest fractions of a second,” Bobby said. “I also noted that the old-time three-phase movement, fielding a ball, coming erect for a toss and throwing to first wouldn’t do on certain hits with fast men, it was plain that the stop and toss had to be combined into a continuous movement.” Bobby became the first shortstop to consistently field ground balls and fire the ball across the diamond as he was still stooped over and gathering himself. He became an expert at getting the baseball to his left, up the middle, and throwing across his body as he was moving toward first base. His revolutionary defensive play marveled teammates and became the talk of the league.

5

George Sisler

The same way middle-aged people today talk about Keith Hernandez’s defense, that’s how people years ago gushed over “Gorgeous George” Sisler. He was quick and his footwork was legendary, but Sisler was also daring. He was unafraid to throw the baseball across the diamond to nab a runner, and he was an expert at charging bunts. Frankie Frisch observed that Sisler was “truly poetry in motion, the perfect player.”

4

Eddie Murray

Murray was the first rookie to play 100 games at designated hitter. Lee May was anchored at first base for the Orioles in 1977, but in his sophomore year the team shifted Eddie across the diamond to replace The Big Bopper. Murray eventually played more games at first base than anyone in history.

3

Jim Palmer

2

Brooks Robinson

His reflexes were so good, his hands so quick, that Robinson overcame slow feet and an average throwing arm. “I could never throw the ball as hard as some of the other guys,” Robinson said. “But I could get rid of it fast.” In the 1970 World Series he robbed Lee May and Johnny Bench of several hits, most of them in jaw-dropping fashion. He also hit two home runs and had nine hits in five games. He was named MVP of the Series and became a national superstar. “We were beaten by Brooks Robinson,” Cincinnati manager Sparky Anderson said.

1

Cal Ripken Jr.

Few players were better matched with a team than Cal Ripken Jr. and the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles were all about standard operating procedures. They stood for hard work, and they were conservative. So, so conservative. The Orioles believed in marching in a straight line. Individuality was not encouraged. The “Oriole Way” was introduced to young players the first day they put on a uniform.